Inseminoid (17 page)

“Maybe the sun shield isn’t down yet,” Gary suggested hopefully.

Mark knew the dreadful answer and that wasn’t it. “The sun shield is down,” he stated, matter-of-factly.

“Then why aren’t we making contact?” Sharon asked.

“Because Sandy has blown up the radio transmitter.”

The force of the explosion was so great that Sandy was thrown from the trellis. She was stunned and groggy but sharp pains from her womb brought her back to awareness. She lay still on the ground. Her stomach had become large and round. Her skin was pulled so tightly by the swelling that wide stretch marks ran the length and width of her body. Sandy was intrigued by these scars on her body and touched them.

Then the pain came back, more intense than ever before. She hugged her abdomen, hoping the agony might pass. But it didn’t. It would not leave her. Time was growing near. She could feel her breasts filling with fluid. They weighed her down with their gargantuan proportions.

She lay crying on the cold floor. It was pure physical pain. No tears were shed over the deaths of her friends, for Sandy no longer had a capacity for emotional response. Only survival was important. But she remembered Karl. He was a doctor. He might help her. “No!” She also remembered, “He’ll take my baby.” The urge within her confused her. It was all-consuming. It drove her forward to carry out her mission.

“Karl,” she cried out. “Karl, please help me. It hurts so bad. Please, help me. Come to me, Karl.”

Her words came through the communicator in the control room.

“What’s that?” Sharon asked.

“It’s Sandy,” Karl said. “I’m sure it was.”

Holly raised the volume and the wailing sounds filled the room.

“Help me, the pain is so great!”

Karl bit his lip. Her agonising plea for help dug into him. Despite all that had happened, he still cared for Sandy very much. It wasn’t her fault that she had become that way. He made the decision. “I’m going to her.”

“No, you’re not!” Holly was firm.

“How can you stop me? She’s returned to her senses. Holly, she needs me right now!”

But Holly insisted. “You’ll stay right here. It could be a trick.”

Karl was truly amazed. “How can you be so cold? Do those cries sound like trickery? Believe me, I know Sandy. I’m a doctor. I must go to her.”

Holly barred the exit. “You’ll have to get by me first and that, Karl, would be worth a court martial when we get back to Nova.”

Karl became red in the face. “Don’t threaten me, Holly. When a life is at stake, I don’t give a flying fuck about my commission!”

“Please help me. It hurts so much.” The sorrowful sound of Sandy’s voice interrupted the argument.

Holly tried to reason with Karl. “Too many of us have died horrible deaths at the hands of Sandy and that—that creature. We have to find a way to get out of this place. Write her off, Karl. It’s best for all of us, including you.”

“Help me, please,” Sandy screamed.

What could he do? He was confused and torn in his loyalties.

Holly could tell she’d won this latest round. “We’ve got to get straight what we know about this civilisation, that creature and how it all links up with Sandy. Mitch, can you tell us anything new?”

Mitch was crying silently on the other side of the room, still mourning for Barbra.

“Mitch?”

The tall black man gathered up his courage and stepped forward.

“Let’s go over it. It just might help us to figure out what’s behind all that’s happened,” Holly told him.

Mitch ran his fingers through his hair and began. “I know what’s behind this. It’s all very clear now.”

“Go on, tell us,” Holly ordered him.

Mitch stroked his chin. He had that habit when he was thinking. “When the race was threatened with extinction, it sealed a fertile male member of the species in an airtight tube and buried it. They believed that one day, when the time was right, the specimen would be freed and allowed to regenerate the race. The creature in the lab is the very last of his race.”

Mitch looked around at the stunned people and realised they still didn’t fully understand the significance of what he’d just told them.

“Do I have to spell it out for you? Must you be so stupid, even now?”

“Listen, Mitch,” Holly began.

But Mark cut her off. “Let him finish. I think I know what he’s getting at.”

“You see, the time of pregnancy, the gestation period is only one week in the species.”

At last the meaning dawned on them all. But Karl was the one to verbalise it. “Sandy was impregnated by the creature?”

“Bravo, bravo,” Mitch clapped his hands together in mock appreciation.

Karl grew enraged. “But why didn’t you tell us this before? How long have you known?” Karl demanded.

“I figured it out earlier today. I was on my way to tell you when Barbra . . . Barbra,” he broke down again and couldn’t continue.

The revelation hit the crew like a bombshell. “Well, that makes all the pieces fit nicely in a puzzle,” Mark said. “I think there’s only one thing left to do. I mean, at this point is there any other option left us than to see Sandy dead?”

“No!” Karl argued. “It’s not her fault.”

For once, Holly agreed with Mark. “Sandy will never be the same after this. If she’s carrying that creature’s baby she’ll never make it through childbirth anyway.”

“Babies,” Mitch corrected her. “Sandy’s pregnant with twins. Everything comes in twos on this planet.”

“Holy shit!” Sharon cursed. “I say, kill her. That’s all humanity needs, two little monsters running around.”

Karl had no choice but to agree with them. He still had a few questions he wanted answered. He wanted to know about the crystals. “I don’t understand, Mitch, you told me that the crystals were the driving force behind the creature.”

“That’s right.”

“But Sandy came in contact with them before the attack. So what force is driving her? Mere maternal instinct? That’s a bit simplistic, don’t you think?”

Mitch stood up. “I believe I can explain that. If Sandy was impregnated by the creature, the life-force could have been passed on to her venereally. Or perhaps the life-force could have entered her through the babies she’s carrying—the children could be controlling her actions.”

Then a thought hit Karl. He wasn’t giving Sandy’s life up without a fight. “After Sandy gives birth, is it possible that she’ll be free of this force? I mean, once she’s rid of the babies, will the life-force have departed with them?”

Mitch considered the theory. “I suppose it’s possible. But you’re the medical doctor. You’ve seen Sandy and the way she’s changed. Do you honestly think she’ll ever be normal again?”

“If it were Barbra, would you take that chance?” Karl asked.

“The question is,” Holly interrupted, “do we try to capture Sandy or wait for her to give birth and hope she’ll be okay?”

“Or?” Karl didn’t have to ask.

“Or do we shoot to kill?”

Sharon stood firm. “Kill her! We don’t understand what’s going on here. We’re foolish if we think we can figure it out.”

Gary had been quiet long enough. He couldn’t restrain himself any longer. “Damn it! Sharon, I don’t know how you can be so heartless. This could just as easily have happened to you.”

Emotions were blazing. “I’d say the same thing if it were me!” she snapped back at him.

Holly tried to cool things down. She turned to Karl. “Whether we kill Sandy or capture her we must first reach her. We have to put an end to this insanity. She’s got us trapped up here, not the other way around. Karl, what are the chances of successfully sedating her?”

Karl shrugged. “Fifty-fifty.”

But that wasn’t good enough for Sharon. “That’s still only half a chance.”

Holly was being forced into a decision. “Karl, if you think you can drug her, give it a try. But I’ll be right behind you, along with Sharon and Gary. We’ll have lasers and if there’s any trouble, we’ll use them.”

“What about me?” Mark asked.

“While we have Sandy occupied, I want you to try to fix the radio transmitter. Check the damage and see if it’s repairable. We must get word to Nova. When you’re finished with that, get back up here to the control room. The last thing we need is for Sandy to make it past us and lock herself in here.”

Mark glared at her. “Just make sure she doesn’t get past you.”

Then Holly laid out her plan. The lights would be extinguished. Through the darkness they’d go to the infirmary where Karl would pick up the drug and needle. Then, they’d scout out Sandy’s position and close in on her.

Holly asked if they were all ready and they said they were.

“Okay, let’s get to it.”

It was difficult moving through the darkness without a guiding light. But surprise was their only ally. They moved silently. Only when they were safely behind the door to the infirmary did they turn on their lanterns. Karl filled the syringe and they were off again.

Sandy’s pain must have been bad. She was moaning so loudly the noise was like a beacon directing them to her.

“It’s coming from the exercise room,” Holly whispered and they continued on, slowly and cautiously.

The door to the gym was open. It was dark inside—only a pair of red eyeballs glowed from within.

Sandy realised someone was there. “Karl, is that you? Have you come to help me?”

“Yes, Sandy. Take it easy. I won’t hurt you.”

“Karl, the pain. I can’t bear it.”

Karl, alone, moved closer. He brought up the lantern light and saw her. She was curled up in the corner of the room, surrounded by bar-bells and weight-lifting equipment. She was whimpering and it pained Karl to see it.

Karl made sure the needle was behind his back and out of sight. The last thing he wanted was to set her off again. He was only a few steps from where she lay when he brought the needle in front of him.

Sandy had assimilated many of the creature’s traits, one of which was night-sight; she could see in the dark. The long needle in his hand reminded Sandy of the night in the infirmary when Karl wanted to take her children. Suddenly, her beast-like instincts returned. She bared her teeth and foamed at the mouth. Her howl was like a wolf’s in the night.

“Easy, Sandy, I’m going to help you out of this mess. You want me to help you?”

“My babies,” she cried. “You’re not going to take my babies?”

Karl stepped closer. “No, of course not. I don’t want to take them from you.” Karl continued to inch his way forward.

“You lie! You lie!” A yellow fluid spewed from between her teeth on to Karl’s face and it burned his skin. Sandy lettered a deafening shriek and sprung on top of him.

He struggled to jab her with the needle but it went flying from his hand.

Holly, Gary and Sharon stepped from the shadows but they couldn’t get a bead on Sandy. Karl kept getting in the way.

“Stay down,” Holly shouted to him.

Karl wasn’t listening. He was trying to reach the syringe, while at the same time deflecting Sandy’s powerful blows.

“Grab her,” Karl shouted.

Holly realised then the lasers would be useless. Even with the lanterns it was too dark. She holstered her weapon and headed for the struggling couple, removing a small knife from her pocket. She’d brought it along just in case and was fingering it as she entered the melée.

Guilt had built up in Mitch to the breaking point. He couldn’t stand it any more. So much of this was his fault, he believed. Barbra’s death weighed heavily on his shoulders. He thought about Barbra one last time and hoped she’d understand what he was about to do next. He left the control room and ran towards the faint sounds of the struggle. He tripped but regained his balance and ran screaming through the darkness.

Sandy saw the knife in Holly’s hand and forgot about Karl. Holly lashed out at Sandy with it but missed. She swung again but still only came up with air. Sandy lunged at her. Her lightning speed was too much for the commander. She grabbed Holly’s wrist as it was coming forward and bent it back. The sound of breaking bones echoed through the gym. The knife fell to the ground and so did Holly.

Sandy reached for the blade. She took it in her hand and foamed at the mouth. She held the knife high in the air so her attackers could see it and contemplate what was going to come next. She smiled hideously as she started to bring it down on Holly.

“You killed Barbra. You bitch! You godforsaken bitch! I’ll kill you with my bare hands.” Mitch had lost all reason. He rushed blindly at Sandy. She was distracted by his charge.

“Stay back,” Karl warned. “She’s got a knife.”

Even if Mitch had heard his words it wouldn’t have mattered because he didn’t care any more. He just wanted to end it all. How could he live without Barbra?

Mitch leapt on Sandy, impaling himself on the knife. But the impetus of the body crashing against her pushed her back—on top of Karl and Holly, both lying injured on the floor.

Sandy had tasted blood again and wanted more. She wouldn’t be stopped until she’d had it all. All there was. The knife was still imbedded in Mitch. She needed another weapon. The dumb-bell! She picked it up from the floor.

Holly tried to get up and run but it was too late for her. Sandy swung the weight with all her strength, smashing it against the side of the commander’s head. Holly kept her balance for a second. Then the blood rained from her broken skull and she toppled on to Mitch. Just to make sure the effort was complete, Sandy struck her again with the heavy metal. It was an unnecessary gesture. Holly was already very dead.

It was Sharon’s turn but she couldn’t move. She was frozen with fear. Her hand rested on her laser but it had become too heavy for her limp arm to lift. The cold, hard woman of the expedition couldn’t deliver when the chips were down.

“Gary, help me!” she begged. But Gary wasn’t there. He’d retreated when it was clear Holly was dead.

A low rumbling noise came from Sandy. More yellow liquid frothed from her mouth across her bloated body. It mixed with the blood from her victims.

Karl was hurt badly. Sandy had ruptured something inside his chest. He thought he probably suffered from a half-dozen broken ribs as well, but he saw Sandy going for Sharon and he had to do what he could. He would try to divert her attention.